Silent Hill Lucky 7
by aserothbw
Summary: Trapped in a strange place, surrounded by Pyramid Head and other horrors, a man with no memory knows he has to go to Silent Hill. But before he can get there, he has to escape the place, and maybe remember just why Silent Hill is his destination.
1. Chapter 1

Feeling himself starting to come around, Darius groans, his head throbbing. Bringing a hand to his head, he feels a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Wiping it away, Darius slowly realizes that the rest of his body feels damp as well. Finding the strength to open his eyes, a forest green color, he finds himself staring up at a dull gray stone ceiling. Blinking, he looks around, and finds himself in a cell, moss growing from various cracks in the walls and ceiling. The front of the cell is made of a series of rusty iron bars, their original color lost to time. "What the hell?" Darius mutters, sitting up. Looking down at the bed he was sleeping on, he sees that it is a cot, the mattress damp and brown. The sweat he had though was his, was condensation from the mist that fills the cell and the hallway beyond it.

Giving his head a shake, Darius tries to think, running a hand through his short brown hair in the process, and comes up with nothing. "My name is Darius." He says out loud. "But, who am I?" Thinking about that question, Darius comes to realize that he can't remember anything else. "I have, amnesia." He mutters. "But, why? And where am I?" Looking around, Darius gets the feeling that his prison is old, very old. The edges of the stones that make up the walls are worn with age, fitted together will little, if any, mortar as far as Darius can see. The moss that grows in his cell is well established, including in the cot that he was sleeping in he quickly realizes.

Getting to his feet, Darius looks down at himself, and sees that he is wearing black fatigue pants and boots, as well as a white T-shirt. Fingerless gloves cover his hands, a sight that somehow stirs something in the back of his mind. Trying to catch that stirring, Darius focuses on it, but fails. "Weird." He says quietly. Taking a step towards the cell door, he stops when his foot hits something. Looking down, he notices something dark. Reaching down, he picks up the object, and finds it to be a small black backpack. Seeing the pack causes more stirrings in the back of his mind, but this time, he chooses to ignore them, instead focusing on the backpack itself.

Feeling it's weight, Darius can tell that it isn't empty. Putting it on the cot, he starts to examine the pack. Rectangular, the pack feels like is has a frame of some sort. The main bag has a smaller pouch on the front, and two side pouches. Opening the side pouches, he finds some strange tools in the right pocket, and a brown hard-plastic oval case in the left pocket. Examining the oval case, Darius tries to open it, but can't figure out how to. Putting the case back, he examines the tools again, and realizes that they are lock-picking tools. This does not disturb him so much as the realization that he knows how to use them. "Why would I need these?" He asks no out loud. "Am I some kind of thief?"

Thinking about that idea, Darius quickly rejects it, the idea not sounding right to him. Putting the tools back in the pocket he found them in, Darius turns his attention to the front pocket of the pack. Inside it, he finds a wallet, an old pocket watch, and a pocketknife. Taking out the wallet, Darius checks it for ID, but finds none. Instead, he finds three hundred dollars in assorted bills, a credit card with the name Sherry Berkins on it, a black, featureless key card, and a picture of a woman. The woman in the picture has long platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. Her skin is a pale white, too pale for a healthy person. Though she is smiling, the smile is tired. "She's sick." Darius mutters, the thought popping into his mind.

Looking at the credit card, Darius wonders if this could be Sherry Berkins, but as soon as the thought comes to mind, something in the back of his mind shoots it down. Putting the picture and credit card away, Darius focuses his attention on the black key card. Featureless, the card has no clue as to its purpose, but holding it, Darius feels a sense of dread linked to the key. "This is bad." He mutters. "Really bad. But why?" Giving his head a shake to dispel the feeling, Darius puts it back in the wallet, and the wallet back into the pouch. Leaving the pocketknife, Darius takes out the pocket watch.

As soon as he touches it, Darius knows the watch is his. Complete with chain and fob, the pocket watch's case is covered with elegant scrollwork, the fob itself a large pin adorned with two rubies and sapphires set in a cross-shaped pattern. Opening the watch's lid, Darius sees that it is still running, the time currently 2:45 pm. But what catches his eye though, is the inscription within the lid. "While angels speak in endless dark, the dead seek out sin." He reads the inscription out loud. "Remember the living, remember the mark." Frowning, Darius tries to make sense of the inscription, but the words do not stir anything in his mind. "This is important though." He concludes, the same feeling in his mind. Hooking the fob to the right side of his belt, Darius closes the watch's lid and puts it in his pocket.

With watch secure, he turns his attention to the main pouch of the backpack. Opening it, he finds first a jacket, folded up to fit in the pack. Taking it out, he sees that it is black. "Something tells me I have a thing for black." Darius mutters sarcastically. "Doesn't feel like it though. I wonder why?" Putting the jacket aside, Darius starts to reach in for the next item, but stops when he hears something. Listening, he hears a scrapping sound in the distance. Metal on stone, something big. Listening to the sound slowly fade away, Darius feels a shiver run down his spine. "That can't be good." He mutters, turning his attention back to the pack. The rest of its contents include a boot knife, a garrote, a leather pouch, and a set of maps. Seeing the maps, Darius unfolds them. "Silent Hill." Reading the name out loud causes a sharp stab of pain to shoot through his head.

Crying out in pain, Darius drops to his knees, clutching his head as images flash through it. Before he can make sense of it though, the images, and the pain, disappear as quickly as they arrive. Panting, he tries to make sense of what had just happened, but can't. "Silent Hill." He says the name out loud again. "That place, I was going there. But why?" Looking at the maps, he can see that various notes and marks had been added to them, several of the streets marked off, as well as some of the buildings. These won't do me much good for now, he thinks to himself, putting the maps away. Turning his attention to the leather pouch, Darius starts to reach for it, when his instincts warn him of danger. Feeling this, he stops to consider it. My instinct, he thinks to himself, not the back of my head. Looking at the pouch, Darius debates it for several seconds, and decides to leave it where be for the moment.

Taking the boot knife, Darius quickly adds it to his right boot, the five inch blade feeling like it belongs there. Looking at the garrote though, Darius feels a little disturbed at the fact he knows it well. "I've killed people with that thing before." The though unsettles him, but at the same time, gives him a sense of pride he cannot identify. Giving his head a shake, Darius takes the maps, and puts them in the front pouch, then folds the jacket, and puts it back into the bag on top of the garrote and leather pouch. As he does this, Darius once more hears the scraping sound once more. "I got to get out here." He mutters.

Shouldering the pack, Darius notes how it too feels comfortable and right on his back. These are my things, the thought comes to him. This is my way of life. This thought stops him in his tracks. But what is my way of life, he asks himself. Unfortunately, the secrets locked away in the back of his mind don't have an answer for him. Sighing, he puts those thoughts aside for the time being. Going to the cell door, he starts to examine the rusted portal. Giving the door a shake, he feels it give. The door is unlocked, but the hinges rusted are shut. Taking a step back, Darius brings his foot up and kicks the door hard. Though it budges, it does not give, but after two more kicks, the door crashes open with a tortured screech of rusted metal that makes him wince.

Stepping out of his cell, Darius sees that the hallway goes around a large, central square pillar. Going to the left, Darius sees another cell. The cell door is gone, and the cot is a shattered ruin of torn linen and twisted metal. At the center of the cell floor is a large, jagged hole, as though someone had taken an enormous knife, and hacked at the floor until they made a hole. On the wall behind the hole, the word 'Prison' has been scratched into the stone. Looking into the hole, he sees inky black darkness, but can tell it does a long way down.

Past the cell, the hallway continues on after it turns around the pillar. Going to the intersection, Darius sees a large, heavy iron door to his right, another cell after it before the hallway turns around the pillar once more. Before him, the hallway continues before turning to the left. Taking a step forward, Darius stops when he hears the scraping sound, this time, getting closer. Reaching for his boot knife, Darius draws it as someone comes around the corner. The man, at least, Darius thinks it is a man, is huge. Whether it is his actual size, or the massive, triangular helmet that it wears over its head, the man stands seven feet tall, almost ten feet with the helmet. The man wears what looks like a pair of white, stained overalls and boots, and a large apron. In one hand, he drags behind him a massive knife-like sword, the source of the scraping sound.

"Holy shit!" Darius exclaims. "Pyramid Head!" How he knows the monster's name, for a monster it truly is, Darius does not know. What he does know, in the back of his mind, is that he's faced this thing before at some point, and that it didn't end well. Turning to face him, Pyramid head starts walking towards him, dragging his great knife behind him. Cursing, Darius takes a step back from the monster. Can't kill it, he thinks to himself. Not without a gun. Looking around, Darius debates what to do, when his instincts cry out danger from behind. Throwing himself to the side, Darius tucks into a role, coming up in a crouch facing his assailant. Another Pyramid Head, though this one is dark skinned, and carries a large fire axe. Cursing, Darius turns and sprints towards the door. As he reaches it, he sees a third Pyramid Head approaching. This one though, is smaller, and slender. A woman, he realizes in surprise.

The new Pyramid Head is wearing a white, stained business suite, her wrists slashed and bloody, a large, bloody kitchen knife in her hand. As she advances towards him, Darius turns to the large metal door. Grabbing the handle, he pulls at it with all his might as the first Pyramid Head comes around the corner. Looking over his shoulder, the woman pyramid stands strangely still. Cursing, Darius cannot seem to get the door to open, when suddenly, it comes flying open. Startled, Darius stumbles backwards as a fourth Pyramid Head comes charging through the portal. Wielding a spear, it stabs him in the stomach, pushing him back into the side of the pillar, skewering him there. Crying out in pain, Darius dimly notes that it is another woman, this one wearing what had once been an expensive white dress, now torn and stained.

Gasping in pain, Darius tries to fight back, but the Pyramid Head holds him firmly in place as the first one hefts his great knife. "I love you." A familiar voice whispers in his ear. Surprised, Darius looks for his source, but sees only the knife as it comes at his head.

Crying out in surprise, Darius sits up as consciousness hits him like a brick wall. Sitting up, he looks around, and once more finds himself in his cell. "What the fuck!" He shouts angrily. Looking down at his stomach, he sees that he is fine, his shirt pristine as when he had awoken the first time. Giving his head a shake, Darius reaches down, and picks up his pack, the item in the same place as he had found it before. "This can't be real." Darius mutters in disbelief. Going through the pack though, he finds the same items as before, all in the exact same place. Cursing, he throws the pack onto the corner of the cot. "What the hell is going on?" He asks himself, trying to think. Looking around, Darius stops when he notices something new on the wall before him.

'1 down, 8 to go' is now scratches into the wall. That wasn't there before, Darius thinks, getting to his feet. Going to the wall, he inspects the writing, and sees that it is just as old as everything else he has seen so far. Giving his head a shake, Darius tries to think. This is all real, the thought comes to him. I've been killed once, and now, it seems I have eight more deaths ahead of me. "This isn't a damn game." He growls. Giving his head a shake, Darius reclaims his pack, taking out the watch and boot knife as before. Now re-equipped, he kicks the cell door open once more, his anger over the situation giving him the extra strength to do it in one hit.

Stepping out of his cell, Darius starts to go right, when a though occurs to him. "Maybe this is some sort of a game." He mutters, something in the back of his mind stirring. Getting an idea, Darius goes left, the same way as he had gone before. Reaching the intersection, he hears the scratching sound. Seconds later, Pyramid head starts to come around the corner. Looking over his shoulder, he sees the second one, Axe Head he decides to call him, coming around the corner. "I don't know what's going on." Darius mutters, walking towards the metal door. As he reaches it, the third one, Knife Head, appears. "But I'm not going to rot in here."

Trying the door, he finds it stuck as before, and takes a step back. As Pyramid Head comes around the corner, the door bursts open, and Spear Head comes charging in like before. Sidestepping to avoid her rush, Darius easily slips past and starts running up a long, dark flight of stairs. In the distance, he hears a loud siren in the distance. I'm getting the fuck out of here, he thinks to himself as he continues to run up the seemingly endless flight of stairs.

After a bit, he notices a subtle change in the walls around him, the stone becoming dry wall. Suddenly, the end appears suddenly, and Darius almost runs headlong into a wooden door, a single light above it. Surprised and tired, Darius stops, panting. Checking his watch, he sees that the time is 2:49 pm. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Darius looks around, and sees no sign of pursuit. "Why did they do the same thing as before?" He wonders out loud. "Its like, they were following a pattern." Giving his head a shake, Darius files the information away for later. Turning his attention to the door, he notices a letter pinned to it. Pulling it off the door, he starts to read it.

_I can't, I can't do it anymore. This place, this horrible place. It's worse then the town. I tried to get out, but they're everywhere. They want me to free them, but they can't help but kill me. It's already been 8 times, one for each of those bastards. Yeah, that's it. 8 of those fucking monsters, each one of them killed me. 7 fucking minions, and him to watch it all. I can't, I can't take it anymore. It's crazy, it's insane. I'm insane, I have to be. I'm going to die, and I know I won't be the last one. So, here's what I know._

_You can only go in the gun room once._

_I left a clue under the chip wagon_

_Don't enter the cave without the chainsaw guy_

_There's lots of clues in the teacher's room_

_Don't use the projector, she'll come in if you do_

_Prison and to hell are bad, but he'll never let you into the end_

_Don't trust anyone outside of the basement. They're just as screwed up as monsters._

_I drew a map on the other side of this page, I hope it helps_

_Good Luck, See you in the next life_

_ Ranse Truman_

Flipping the page over, Darius sees the hand drawn map on the back mentioned in the letter. Looking at it, he sees the basement area where he had woken up, as well as the various other places mentioned in the note. Looking back at the note itself, Darius sees the shaky handwritten, and notices that it is written in red ink. "I hope that's ink." Darius grimaces. Checking the flip side, he sees that the map is drawn in black ink. "Seven minions, and one overseer." Darius muses. "Pyramid head is the overseer, and those others are the minions. Question is, who are the others? He makes it sound like there's other people trapped in this place."

Realizing that he's talking out loud, Darius gives his head a shake. "Fuck, I'm better then this." He growls. "Get it together man, you've got to survive." Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Darius feels a calm starting to settle over him. Feeling once more in control, Darius folds the map, and puts it in his pocket. Reaching for the doorknob, Darius tries it, and finds it locked. Sighing, he reaches behind him, and without thought, takes out the lock picks, and starts to pick the lock. "This is crazy." He mutters as he picks the lock with little effort. I have got to figure out who I am, he thinks to himself. Door unlocked, Darius puts away the lock picks before opening the door.

Beyond the portal is a dimly lit hallway with a brown carpet and dark beige walls, the kind one usually sees in a hotel. Three doors line the walls on each side before the hallway opens up into a larger room further ahead. To his left, the first door has the barrel of a rifle sticking out of the upper-left corner of the doorframe at an angle, pointing towards the end off the hallway. Gun room, Darius remembers from the map. Looking at the door, Darius debates going in, but remembers the warning from the letter. Instead, he walks down the hallway, and enters the reception area marked on the map.

Aptly named, the reception area looks more like the office of a small motel then anything else. A reception desk sits against the wall opposite of Darius, a door to its left. The right hand wall is made of what looks like glass, complete with glass door, but black as night. Going to the door, Darius reaches out a hand to try it, but stops when he realizes that the door is just a part of the wall. Looking around again, Darius notices a large, black piece of stone set in the center of the room. Going over to it, he sees that it is one large piece of what looks like marble, though it is as black as the wall and it's fake door.

Going over to the reception desk, Darius sees a large blood stain, a pen in the middle of it. "I get the feeling that wasn't red ink." He mutters. Behind the desk is a series of mail boxes on the wall, all of them empty except for one. Curious, Darius starts to go around the desk to inspect the box's contents, when he hears the tell tale sound of an automatic's slide clicking into place.


	2. Chapter 2

Hearing the sound of the slide clicking home, Darius freezes. "Don't move!" A terrified woman's voice warns him. "Take it easy." Darius tells her calmly. "I'm un-armed."

"Who are you?" The woman demands. "My name's Darius." He explains. "I woke up in the basement, and-"

"You're trapped here too?" The woman asks. "Wherever here is." Darius agrees. The woman is silent for several seconds, then breaks down, sobbing, the sound of something hitting the floor following. Taking a quick look over his shoulder, he sees a young red-haired woman in her early twenties on her knees, crying into her hands, an automatic on the ground before her. Turning, Darius takes a step forward. "Are you, okay?" He asks. "I want to go home." She sobs. Going over to her, Darius slowly pushes the gun out of her reach with his foot, before going to her side and putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay." He tells her. "I don't plan on sticking around here either." The girl looks up at him, her blue eyes clouded with fear and uncertainty.

"What your name?" Darius asks her. "Emily." She replies. "Emily Jenkins. I'm sorry. I thought you were one of those things."

"You mean the pyramid heads?" Darius asks. Emily shakes her head. "There's other, monsters, in this place. You're the first normal person I've seen since I woke up." Darius nods. "Same here. How did you get here?"

"I was, driving home, with my daughter." She explains. "She's just a baby. We were going home, my, my husband was waiting for us, and-" Emily sobs. "Something happened. Something horrible happened. When I woke up, I was in one of the rooms. I have to get out of here. They're waiting for me at home." Darius frowns. "You just said you were driving home with your daughter." Darius points out. "I, I found a phone." Emily explains. "It was in the room with all of the guns. I tried it, and I was able to call my husband. He said, she was with her. I, He, we were talking, when one of those things, pyramid heads?"

"Big guy with a rusty metal things for a head?" Darius asks. Emily nods. "It, had a chainsaw. It chased me out of the room. I tried going back later, but, the door was locked."

"I'm guessing that's where you got the gun?" Darius asks. Emily nods. "I was hiding in another room, when you came. I found a clip for the gun, and was reloading it."

"Heard the slide clicking back down." Darius tells her. "Oh." Emily says. Getting up, Darius notes that she is wearing jeans and a matching jean jacket with sneakers and a white tank-top. Reaching up, she turns on a small clip-on flashlight attached to her jacket. "Don't suppose you have another one of those do you?" Darius asks. "There's a box of them behind the desk." Emily tells him, pointing to the reception desk. "Would be nice." Darius says. "It's not too dark, but a little light would help things a bit." Nodding, Emily leads him around the desk, and sure enough, on the ground is a large cardboard box filled with the small clip on flashlights.

"This is convenient." Darius mutters. Picking on up, he examines it, and sees the logo for the Norman Motel. "Silent Hill." Darius mutters, reading the address. "What?" Emily asks. "Silent Hill." Darius repeats. "It's the name of a town. I found some maps for it awhile ago."

"I've never heard of it." Emily admits. "Wait." She suddenly says, a though coming to her. "Wait, no, I have. I think, my husband grew up around here."

"You think?" Darius asks. "We were just married six months ago." Emily explains. "He never liked talking about his childhood. It was, rough. His father was abusive." Darius nods. "Makes sense. Still, at least we have an idea where we might be." Turning the light on, Darius turns his attention to the only full mailbox on the wall. Inside it is a note and videotape.

"_The guest in room 204 forgot this tape when she left. I've already contacted her, and she says her boyfriend Darius will come by and pick it up._"

Looking at the note, Darius starts. "That's you?" Emily asks, reading over his shoulder. "I don't know." He admits. "I, can't remember anything. I've got amnesia I guess." Emily gives him a suspicious look. "It's true." Darius insists. "But, the maps I found, were in my pack."

"How could you just forget everything?" Emily asks. Darius shrugs. "That's what I'd like to know, but Pyramid head did get me once in the head." Emily gasps. "How did you survive?"

"Good question." Darius mutters. Looking at the tape, he sees that the label is blank. Shaking his head, he puts the tape in his pack, and puts the note back in the mailbox. Looking around the desk once more, he takes three more of the flashlights, adding them to his pack after checking to make sure they work. Seeing a pen, he checks it, and after making sure it works, adds it to the side pouch holding his lock picks. "Where did you get that gun anyways?" Darius asks, clipping the flashlight to the left-side strap. "The gun?" Emily asks, and starts when she realizes what he means. Running around the desk, she goes back and picks up her discarded handgun. "You should hold onto that." Darius tells her. "Sorry." She apologizes. "I, found it in the room with the gun sticking out of the door frame. I tried to go back in, but the door's locked."

"Show me." Darius tells her. Nodding, Emily leads him back the way he had come to the gun room. Reaching the door, she tries to open it, but finds it locked. "See." She tells him. Going to the door himself, Darius tries the door, and finds it unlocked. "How did you do that?" Emily asks, surprised. "You can only go in the gun room once." Darius says. "How do you know?" She asks him. "I don't." He replies. "I found a map and a letter from a guy who came through here before. He left some tips, and one of them was, you can only go in the gun room once." Opening the door, Darius steps into the well-lit room. Guns fill the wall the door is on, the wall to his left and right, and the two tables and three glassless display cases filling the room. The wall opposite of Darius is filled with racks of weapons: Swords, knives, axes, maces, even a rock drill and a set of golf clubs.

"Shit." Darius mutters. "Have you ever seen so many guns before?" Emily asks. "I might have." Darius replies when the dim memory of a similar room comes floating up from the back of his mind. "As strange as that sounds." Entering the room, Darius starts to look around. Handguns, shotguns, and rifles of all varieties can be found from around the world, and from different time periods. Stopping to look at an old flintlock pistol, Darius wonders if it still works, when Emily calls out. "Can you come try this please?" Looking over at her, he sees her standing in upper-left corner of the room beside some military-style cases. "The phone." She says. "It's not working."

Going to her side, Darius sees an old rotary phone sitting on one of the cases. "What's in these things?" He asks. "Bullets." Emily replies. "For everything in the room I think." Curious, Darius opens one of the cases, and sees several, smaller ammunition crates within. "Damn." He mutters. "There's enough hardware here to arm a regiment or two." Closing the case, Darius picks up the phone's receiver. Putting it to his ear, he hears a busy signal. "Line's busy." He mutters. "At least it works for you." Emily says. "God, what is this place?"

"I don't know." Darius admits, hanging up the phone. Emily sighs. "I don't want to die." She tells him. "Who does?" Darius asks. "You should grab a few more clips while we're here. No idea if we'll ever be able to get back in." Emily nods, and opens one of the crates. Darius meanwhile, starts to browse through the selection of weapons. Starting with the melee weapons, Darius comes to a stop before a display holding three Japanese swords: A Katana, Wakizashi, and Tanto. Looking at the katana, Darius feels something stirring in the back of him mind. Picking it up, he bares an inch of the blade, and cries out as the pain once more goes shooting through his skull.

_Looking at the blade Darius bares an inch of the steel. "This is an original?" Darius asks. "Forged by Matsuda Tsuguyasu himself." The woman replies. Looking up at her, Darius smiles. "Thanks." She giggles slightly. "I know how much you like swords. I thought you should at least have one real Japanese sword for your collection." _

"_Not much of a collection." Darius chuckles, unsheathing the sword completely to inspect the blade. "Got to admit though, this is one hell of a birthday present to give to someone you barely know." She laughs, giving her platinum blonde hair a toss. "I know you a lot better then you think Darius." _

Groaning, Darius feels himself starting to come around. "Are you okay?" A woman asks him. "Is that . . ." He starts to ask, but the name of the woman with the platinum blonde hair eludes him. "Darius?" The voice asks him again as his senses come back to him. "Emily." He says her name. "Yes?" She asks. Groaning, Darius gives his head a shake. Lying on the floor with Emily over him, Darius looks around. "What happened?" She asks him. "You screamed, and toppled over."

"Flashback, I think." Darius replies. Sitting up, he starts to raise his hands up to rub his aching head, when he realizes that he is still holding the sheathed katana in his left hand. Rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand, Darius considers the blade he is holding. "Are you okay?" Emily asks. "Don't know." Darius admits. Emily backs away as Darius gets to his feet. Unsheathing the katana with practiced ease, Darius inspects it. "It's, the same one." He declares when he realizes it. "What do you mean?" Emily asks. "It's the same sword, that, was given to me . . ." Desperately, Darius tries to recapture the memory, but the pain starts to build in the back of his head again. "Take it easy." Emily tells him, going to his side. "You can't rush these things."

Darius sighs. "Maybe." He mutters. Sheathing the katana, Darius slides the sheathed blade into a loop in his pants on the left side of his hip, a loop apparently made to hold the weapon he notes. "You're taking it with you?" Emily asks. "I don't like most guns." Darius explains. "How do you know?" She counters. Darius shrugs. "How do I know anything right now? Trust me, I can use this." Though Emily gives him a dubious look, she doesn't press the point. "Did you get those extra clips?" Darius asks her. "No." Emily says, going back to the crate. "You were out for so long, I forgot about them."

"How long was I out for?" Darius asks. "Awhile." Emily replies. "I don't have a watch." Taking out his own watch, Darius checks the time and sees that it is 3:54 pm. "Damn!" He exclaims. "I was out for almost an hour." Turning, Emily sees his watch as she is stuffing gun clips into the pockets of her jean jacket. "Nice watch." She tells him. "Thanks." Darius replies. "Make sure you take some loose rounds too."

"Why?" She asks. "Refill half-empty clips." Darius explains. "Never know when we'll find more bullets, plus you should be changing clips after every-" Darius stops, giving his head a shake. "Fuck this is weird. How the hell do I know all this stuff?"

"Maybe you were in the army?" Emily suggests. "Don't think so." Darius replies after some thought. "Anyways, let's get out of here." Nodding, Emily quickly finishes gathering her munitions. Once done, the two leave the room, a soft, but very audible click of the door locking when they close it. "So you really can only go in the gun room once." Emily says. "Looks like it." Darius agrees, taking out the map. "Hey, have you been in here yet?" He asks, pointing to the door opposite of the gun room door. "No."Emily replies, also looking at the map. "I was here." She says, pointing to the room marked, classroom. "Find anything?" Darius asks. "I don't, want to talk about it." Emily replies, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Well." Darius says, noting her hesitation. "It says TV for this room, so maybe there's a VCR too." Going to the door, Darius tries it, and finds it unlocked. Opening it, Darius steps into the dark room, lit by the white static of a large TV. The room itself has seen better days, years of neglect and water damage evident. Other then the TV, the room is empty except for a single old recliner in front of the TV. On top of the TV, is a VCR. Going over to the VCR, Darius checks it to see if it is working, but cannot get it to power on. "Shit." He mutters. "What?" Emily asks from the doorway. "VCR's not working." Darius replies. "I wonder what-" Instincts scream danger before he has a chance to finish the sentence.

Spinning around, Darius draws his katana and slashes upwards at an angle, knocking aside a very large pair of what look like household scissors. Holding the scissors, is another pyramid head, this one so fat, its clothes looks ready to burst at the seams. Cursing, Darius takes a step back, bringing his katana up in a defensive posture. "Shoot it!" Darius shouts out. From behind him, Emily screams, firing her gun, but not into the room. Cursing, Darius jumps back as Scissor Head lashes out with his scissors, trying to cut his head off. Backing up to the door, Darius sees the scissor head slowly following him. "Too fat are you?" Darius asks, then spins around to block Axe Head's swing. Unable to match its strength, Darius deflects it to the side, and tries to slip past the monster.

Though he manages to slip past, Axe Head backhands him, knocking him off his feet and back several steps. Hitting the ground, Darius looks up to see another pyramid head standing over him. Another woman, this pyramid head is wearing a white, stained night gown, parts of it torn and revealing the body beneath. Reaching down, the pyramid head grabs him by the throat, and lifts him up into the air. Chocking, Darius slashes with his katana several times, hitting her in the arms, but unable to break her chocking grip. Behind him, Axe Head raises his axe for another swing.

Bringing his right leg up as he transfers the katana to his left hand, Darius draws his boot knife, and stabs Choke Head in the wrist, severing muscles in the wrist, making her drop him. Coughing, Darius rolls to the side do avoid Axe Head's chop, and scrambles to his feet. Looking around, he sees Emily with her back to the desk, Spear Head and Knife Head closing on her. Cursing, Darius slips past choke head, and runs towards Emily. Throwing his knife, he catches knife Head in the right leg. Coming up behind Spear Head, Darius reverses the grip on his katana, and brings it down in a two-handed grip, stabbing Spear Head in the back. Pulling the blade free, he slashes at Knife Head, knocking her knife aside as she tries to stab him.

"Run!" Darius shouts at Emily, following up his slash with a second that scores a deep cut along Knife head's left arm. Slipping past a staggering Spear Head, Emily runs towards the door by the reception desk when it comes crashing open. Stumbling back, Emily screams as a chainsaw-wielding Pyramid Head comes walking in. Wearing what look like white pants and a button up shirt, the chainsaw head's clothes are torn and bloody, as though he had been viciously mauled by an animal. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Darius shouts when he sees the new pyramid head. Stabbing Knife Head in the left leg with his Katana, Darius dodges a grab from Choke Head and makes his way towards Emily as she falls while avoiding a swipe of Chainsaw Head's weapon.

Screaming in terror, Emily, her gun forgotten, stares up at the monster in terror when the sound of a shotgun firing echoes out from the hallway behind it. Seeing the flash from behind Chainsaw Head, Darius can dimly make out someone firing several more times into the monster's back, staggering him. "I'm almost out!" A man shouts. Seeing that Chainsaw Head is staggered, Darius goes over to Emily, and grabbing her with his free hand, drags her to his feet. "Come on!" He shouts, slashing at Chainsaw Head to drive him aside. Badly wounded, Chainsaw Head stumbles to the side, the weight of his chainsaw throwing him off as he tries to swing it. Pulling Emily through the doorway, Darius sees their savior running ahead of them.

Looking over his shoulder, Darius yelps in surprise, pushing Emily aside and throwing himself to the right as Spear Head comes charging at him, the front of her dress bright red with blood. "What does it take to kill you fuckers?" Darius shouts, swinging low as she goes by. Connecting with its right knee, Darius feels the blade cut through cartilage and muscle, the blow sending her crashing to the ground. Emily meanwhile, reloads her gun, and fires at the other pyramid heads as they start coming through the door. "Let's go!" Darius shouts at Emily. Emptying her clip, Emily turns and runs down the hallway. Following, her, Darius sees her reach what looks like the end, and has to swerve to avoid her as she comes to a sudden and surprising stop. "What the hell?" He shouts at her. "We got to, fuck!" The last part comes out in shock when Darius sees the forest before them.

Looking to the left and right, Darius sees the walls continue on in both directions to the left and right, disappearing into darkness. To his right is a door, and opposite of the door, parked on the other side of a two-lane road, is a chip wagon, the blue and yellow vehicle sitting on wooden blocks, both tires facing the road missing. Looking up at the sky, Darius sees nothing but darkness above the tree line. "I don't fucking believe this." He mutters. "Come on!" He then shouts at Emily, shaking her shoulder. "This is the end." She says, her voice quiet and hollow sounding. Raising a hand up, Darius is about to slap her across the back of the head, when the man he had seen earlier comes out from behind the chip wagon wielding a large caliber revolver. "Behind you!" He shouts, firing. Spinning around, Darius shouts in surprise when he sees Pyramid Head, great knife held up over his head.

Throwing himself to the side to avoid the chop, Darius feels the ground shake slightly at the impact of the weapon on the asphalt. Rolling onto his back, Darius does a kick-up to get back onto his feet. Pyramid Head meanwhile, brings his great knife up for another slash, hitting Emily with the flat of his blade in the process, and knocking her off her feet. "Emily!" Darius shouts frantically. Looking back towards the hallway, Darius curses when he sees the other pyramid heads approach, including Spear Head, pulling herself across the floor. "Forget the bitch!" The man shouts, shooting Pyramid Head twice more.

Bullets bouncing off his helmet, Pyramid Head slashes at Darius. Ducking under the swing, Darius springs forward, slashing at the monster's tight as he runs by. Turning as Darius goes by, Pyramid Head lashes out with his arm, hitting Darius and sending him flying. Grunting at the impact, Darius manages to keep a hold of his katana as he hits the ground and rolls several times, coming to a stop beside a dazed Emily. Groaning, Darius rolls onto his back, seeing stars. "Damn." He mutters. Getting up onto his hands and knees, he sees Pyramid Head standing by him out of the corner of his eye. Cursing, Darius scrambles to his feet and backs away from Pyramid Head as he brings his great knife down. "No!" Darius shouts, realizing that he isn't the intended target.

Ignoring his shout, Pyramid Head completes his strike, his great knife hitting the dazed Emily, cutting her in half at the waist. Behind Pyramid Head, Knife Head comes up, and shambles towards Emily as she howls in pain. "Leave her alone!" Darius shouts. Bringing up his Katana, Darius starts to move towards Knife Head, but is forced to jump back to avoid a swing from Pyramid Head's great knife. "She's dead!" The man shouts. "Get out of there you dumb fuck!" Shaking his head, Darius watches in horror as Knife Head falls on Emily's upper body, stabbing her brutally in a frenzy. Shuddering, Darius turns, and runs towards the chip wagon, dodging another swing from Pyramid Head that hits Knife Head in the metal helmet, knocking her off her feet and onto her back.

Keeping his gaze locked on the man as he starts to run into the forest, Darius follows his mysterious savior into the darkness, the pain of Emily's death disappearing as fast as he flees the scene of her death.


	3. Chapter 3

Panting, Darius comes to a stop, his rescuer a few feet ahead of him, breathing much heavier then he. The two men are standing in a small clearing in the forest, a rocky bowl devoid of any plant life. "Fuck." The man curses. "I hate those things." Taking the opportunity to examine his savior, Darius right away notices that the man is wearing a police uniform. "Thanks, officer." Darius tells him. Hearing him speak, the man turns to face Darius. A large man, standing a little over six feet tall, the officer has well kept, short black hair, and brown eyes that regard him sternly.

"Names Dean, Sherman Dean." The officer introduces himself. Looking at Sherman's front, Darius notes that he is not wearing a badge, or any other marking that would say for certain he is a police officer. "How did you get here?" Sherman asks, taking a seat on a large rock. "Woke up in the basement." Darius replies. "Don't worry about the girl." Sherman grunts. "She'll probably get, what the hell is that word? You know, when someone brings someone back from the dead?"

"Resurrected?" Darius suggests. "Yeah." Sherman nods. "That's it. Resurrected. Bastards already killed me twice. Hurt like hell."

"You been in the gun room?" Darius asks. "Where the fuck you think I got this?" Sherman asks, holding up the shotgun. "Just checking." Darius says. "So, how did you get here?" Sherman shrugs. "How the hell should I know? I was responding to a 419. When I got there, someone snuck up behind me, and the next thing I know, I woke up in that room with all the guns." Sherman shrugs. "Fucking bullshit I tell you. I should be on a hot date right now, not fighting freaks in the middle of who-knows-where."

"Can't argue with that." Darius admits, getting to his feet. "Can't stay here though."

"Those bastards won't come into the woods." Sherman grunts. "Not the heads I'm worried about." Darius says. "You find a cave around here?" Sherman nods. "Yeah. Small path by that old truck leads to a cave. Smelled bad though, so I didn't go in." Darius nods. "That's good to know. How do I get back to the road?"

"Keep walking." Sherman tells him. "You'll get there no matter which way you go. Fucking screwed up place I tell you." Darius nods. "You're not going back now are you?" Sherman asks. "As good a time as any." Darius replies, starting to walk back the way they had come. "Those freaks are probably still back there!" Sherman shouts. Checking his watch, Darius sees that it is now 3:32 pm. "What the hell?" Darius mutters. "Broken?" Sherman asks. "My damn watch hasn't worked since I got here. Damn thing's dead."

"Mine's working." Darius admits. "But it says that it's 3:32 pm."

"So?" Sherman asks. "It was 3:54 before we left the gun room and ran into the heads." Darius explains. "Told you this place is fucked up." Sherman grunts, getting to his feet. "Thought you weren't coming?" Darius asks. "Don't want to." Sherman replies. "But since all you got is that fancy sword, someone has to kill the fucking monsters." Darius smirks at the man. "Trust me, this fancy sword does plenty of that."

Stepping past the tree, Darius starts when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of the road. Just ahead of him is the chip wagon and the hallway, the walls still looking eerily out of place. On the ground where Emily had met her end, is a large blood stain. At the center of the bloodstain is her gun, and three clips standing side-by-side. "Found my shit the same way the last time I got killed." Sherman mutters. "Fucking creepy if you ask me." Ignoring the other man, Darius walks past the bloodstain to the chip wagon. Going around to the back, Darius finds a door into the back portion of the truck. As he approaches it, Darius catches whiff of the smell of rotting meat. "Doors locked." Sherman tells him. "Not that I'd want to go in there the way it smells."

Checking the look, Darius sees that it is still working, and pulls out his lockpicks. "What are you doing?" Sherman demands. "Going to open the door." Darius replies. "Like hell you are." Sherman tells him, pumping his shotgun. Hearing the motion, Darius looks over at the other man, and sees him pointing the gun at him. "I'm still a cop dumb-ass. You put those fucking things away."

"Listen." Darius tells Sherman calmly. "There's supposed to be a clue around this thing. We need to find it if we want to get the hell out of here."

"You touch that lock and I'm going to blow your fucking head off." Sherman warns him. What the hell is wrong with guy, Darius wonder as he slowly backs away from the door. "Fine." Darius mutters. Putting the lockpicks away, Darius takes a look around. "If it is locked, maybe he found some other place to hide it."

"Hide what?" Sherman demands, the shotgun still trained on Darius. "I found a note earlier." Darius explains. "The guy who wrote it said he had left a clue under the . . ." Darius' words trail off when he realizes where the clue is. "Damnit." He curses at himself for not thinking of it sooner. Going to the side of the chip wagon, Darius checks under the vehicle, and sees something sticking out from behind the stair leading up to the wagon's door. Unclipping his light from his pack, Darius shines it on the object, and sees that it is a small notebook. "Here it is." After taking the notebook out from hiding, Darius takes a seat on the ground, flipping it open. "What is it?" Sherman asks. "Newspaper clippings." Darius mutters. "That's it?"

"Looks like it." Stopping at one of the articles, Darius reads the title. "Science teacher commits suicide after killing ex-husband. Cleaner scandal revealed." Looking at the title, Darius frowns. "Suicide?"

"So what?" Sherman asks, checking around the corner of the chip wagon. "Knife Head, her wrists were slashed." Curious, Darius reads the article.

_Earlier today, police found Chemist Janet Kelley in her Sunny Groves home dead, in what police are describing as a murder/suicide. According to comments made by the lead detective on the case, Mrs. Kelley was found in her bathtub early this afternoon by a neighbour who heard a violent commotion coming from the household. Also found in the living room was one Eric Kelley, ex-husband of the deceased, brutally murdered. Early reports indicate that Mrs. Kelley was the perpetrator of the murder, killing her ex, then turning the knife on herself. _

_Despite the apparent brutality of the crime, many believe that there is little mystery here. For those who don't remember, the two Kelley's have been in a bitter dispute over the rights to the patent of 'wonder cleaner', a new completely organic cleaning solvent that has been taking the local stores by storm. After Mr. Kelley took his wonder cleaner public, Mrs. Kelley, a chemistry teacher at the local high school, followed up with her own claims to have created something better, but before she could put her product on the market, Eric Kelley filled fraud charges against his ex-wife, claiming that she was using his formula. In response, Janet Kelly filled counter charges of theft, claiming that it was him who stole her recipe. What followed was a three-year courtroom drama that apparently ended in the worst of ways._

Friends of both decedents claim that despite the ugly court battles, both Mr. And Mrs. Kelley were still very active in the community, and showed no signs of reaching any sort of a breaking point that could have accounted for the grizzly murder. 'She was very optimistic about the outcome of the latest court proceedings.' One friend and fellow teacher, of Janet had to say. 'There was no reason for her to do this.' Though no official statement has been made by lawyers on either side of the cleaner dispute, it is expected that one will be made within the next few days once more details on the crime are made official.

"Weird." Darius mutters. "What does this have to do with anything though?" Curious, Darius starts to look at the other articles, when a deep, long howl pierces the darkness. "Fuck!" Sherman curses. "It's those things again. We got to get out of here!"

"What things?" Darius asks, getting to his feet. "Ever wonder what a skinned dog looks like?" Sherman asks. "Stick around, and you can find out."

"No thanks." Darius tells him. "Besides, I want to take a trip to school."

"Where the fuck you going to find a school around?" Sherman asks him testily. "You'd be surprised." Darius replies cryptically. Going past Sherman, Darius heads for the hallway. Stopping at its mouth, Darius checks his map, and sees that the door to his left leads to a room marked office, the road marked 'Highway 666'. Making a note to check the office later, Darius heads down the hallway, Sherman following behind him. "You should take this damn gun." Sherman tells him. "Fucking sword won't do shit around here." Ignoring him, Darius checks his watch, and stops when he sees that the time is nod 4:02 pm. "Now what?" Sherman growls. "It's 4:02." Darius says. "Who gives a shit." Sherman tells him. "Move." To emphasize the point, Sherman pushes him forward.

Glaring at the man, Darius bites back a retort, and feels something stir in the back of his mind. Ignoring it, Darius continues forward until he comes to the door, now back in place as it was before Chainsaw Head had come busting through. Opening the door, Darius steps into the reception area, and hears a muffled growl. Freezing, he looks around, and sees a large dog come around the reception desk. At least, something that looks like a dog. Covered in patchwork of leathery, decaying skin, the creature has a long, thick tongue that hands out of its mouth, its tip dragging on the ground. "Fuck!" Sherman curses through grit teeth.

Turning its eyeless head towards them, the dog snarls, a sound more suited to a large cat, then a canine. Hand on the hilt of his Katana, Darius rushes forward as the dog monster comes at him. Side stepping the creature's clumsy pounce, Darius draws, and brings his Katana down on the creature's back, slicing into the spine. "Get out of the way!" Sherman shouts over the creature's yelp of pain. Skipping aside to avoid the dog's tongue, Darius slashes again, slicing the appendage off near the mouth, then follows with a stab to its throat. Slicing it open, the dog neck erupts in a torrent of blood, the creature gurgling as it goes down.

Taking several steps back from the creature, Darius watches it die. "Like I said, this fancy sword does plenty of killing." Darius tells Sherman. "Darius?" Emily's voice calls out hesitantly. Turning, Darius sees her peaking out of one of the doorways further down the hallway near the gunroom. "You okay?" Darius asks. Hearing him, Emily comes out of the room, and runs to him, throwing her arms around him and hugging him fiercely. "I don't know what happened." She sobs. "I was, there, that thing, and . . ." Holding her with his free hand, Darius starts to console her, when Sherman comes up behind him. "Get a grip bitch!" Sherman shouts, startling her. Jumping back from Darius, Emily raises her gun, and points it at Sherman. "Whoa!" Darius tells her, stepping between the two, raising his bloody sword up.

"Keep that pig away from me!" Emily shouts angrily. "You two know each other?" Darius asks. "She's a whinny bitch who kept getting in my way." Sherman tells him. "You tried to kill me!" Emily accuses the man. "I was trying to shut you up!" Sherman yells back.

"Both of you shut up!" Darius shouts. Using his katana, Darius motions Sherman back, the man complying, taking several steps back from the deadly blade. "I, am going to the science room marked on this map." Darius declares. "You can either come with me, or go your own way."

"I, I'm going with you." Emily quickly tells Darius. "Fuck this shit." Sherman says. "I'm going back to that fucking gun room, getting the biggest piece of fucking hardware I can find, and then I'm going to find those freaks, and kill every one of those bastards! Get in my way, and you can end up like them!" pushing past Darius roughly, Sherman goes down the hallway towards the gun room. "Lets go." Darius tells Emily quietly. Going to the door beside the one to the TV room, Darius opens it, and reveals a hallway. At the gun room door, Sherman, after finding it lock, tries to kick the door down, cursing and swearing at the top of his lungs. Pushing a shivering Emily into the hallway first, Darius closes the door as Sherman brings his revolver up, aiming it at the door knob.

"I hate him." Emily says, then let's out a small shriek when a shot rings out, followed by a howl of pain. "What's wrong with him?" Emily asks frantically, a hint of hysteria in her voice. "My guess, he just got hit by a ricochet." Darius replies. "Least, I hope that's what it was. Come on, we're not sticking around." Emily nods, and follows Darius as he walks past her. "He was nice at first." Emily says after almost a minute of walking. "Who was?"

"That guy." Emily explains. "When we ran into each other the first time, he was really charming. After he saved me from those, monsters with the hats."

"Pyramid Heads." Darius supplies. "Pyramid Heads." Emily nods. "He, he tried to get me to have sex with him. When that didn't work, he tried to rape me, but I shot him in the leg."

"Must have been before he got killed." Darius mutters. "He wasn't wounded when we ran into him near that chip wagon."

"I don't understand." Emily says. "Why are we here? What do they want?" Darius does not reply, unsure what the answer to that question would be himself. Instead, another thought occurs to him. Stopping, he looks over his shoulder, and sees that the door they came through is still in sight. "Something's wrong." Darius says, his hand going to the hilt of his katana. "We're not moving forward." Turning, Emily also sees the door. "How are we going to get out of here?" She asks him. "I don't know." Darius replies, pushing past her. "But I'm starting to get a little tired of this shit."

Going to the door, Darius opens it, and starts when he sees a hallway different then the one he is expecting. Looking around, he notices the rows of lockers along the walls, the occasional drinking fountain, and three doors, one on either side of the hallway opposite of each other, and a third at the end of the hallway. Most of the fluorescent lights are broken or dead, the few working giving off a weak, sporadic light. "We're at the school." Emily says fearfully. Before Darius can reply, a scream of pain rips through the air. Startled, Darius runs out into the hallway, drawing his Katana. Looking for the source, he hears it coming from the door to his right. "Don't go in!" Emily screams as he charges at the portal. Hitting it shoulder first, Darius feels it give, and stumbles into a scene out of hell.

Five crude lines of what appear to be desks fill the room, standing on a grating floor. Large hunks of meat of various sizes hang from chains in the ceiling, and are strewn about the room, some sitting in at desks, looking like they once may have been human. The rust colored walls are covered in blood and other unidentifiable substances, a large fan set at the head of the room, before what looks to be an altar made of stone. On the altar, being held down by six creatures that look disturbingly like large, hairless monkeys, is a young blonde-haired girl. Behind the girl, is another Pyramid Head, this one fat, though not as large as Scissor Head, and carries a blood-encrusted pitchfork.

"Leave her alone!" Darius shouts. Ignoring him, Fork Head comes up to the altar, and stabs the girl in the chest with his pitchfork, her cries cut off suddenly. Cursing, Darius charges at the altar, sword raised. The girl dead, the skinned monkeys turn their attention to Darius, laughing manically as they come at him. Slashing with his katana, Darius carves a deep wound into the first monkey, but before he can react, the monkeys are on him, Grabbing him and forcing him back. "Get off of me!" Darius shouts, kicking one in the knee. Struggling vainly, Darius is unable to fight the monkeys as they push him back towards the door. Fork Head meanwhile, has pulled his weapon out of his victim, and using a large skinning knife, starts to cut the girl's clothing off.

Growling wordlessly, Darius drops his Katana, and brings his right leg up, Kneeing the monkey holding his right arm. Knocking it aside, Darius manages to pull out his boot knife before the monkey gets a hold of his arm again. "I said get off of me!" Darius shouts, stabbing the monkey in the neck. Stabbing it twice more, Darius manages to kill the monster, and starts to turn his attention to the others, when he is suddenly flung backwards. Crying out in surprise, he hits the floor hard, and realizes that he is back out in the hallway. Still laughing maniaclly, one of the monkeys kicks his sowrd out of the room before another slams the door shut. The last thing Darius sees, is Fork Head starting to skin the corpse.

Howling savagely, Darius gets to his feet and charges at the door. Slamming into the door, Darius feels it hold firm. Cursing, He takes several steps back, and tries again, then a third time, but cannot get the door open. "It's taunting you." Emily tells him. Hearing her voice, Darius is snapped out of his rage, like a bubble suddenly popping. Breathing heavily, he drops to his knees as pain goes shooting through his head. _"Murderer!"_ Her voice screams through his head over and over, everything going dark. _"Monster!"_

"_Get away from me!"_

"_Just doing my job kid."_

"_How could you? How could you kill them like that?"_

"_It's what I do. I was hired to protect you."_

"_You didn't have to kill them!" _

"_Yes. Yes I did. You think your papa paid me all that money just to scare them off? These people won't stop until they're dead, or you are." _

"_A monster to kill monsters." _

"_I'm not a monster. I'm just doing my job." _

"_I love you." _

Standing in the darkness, Darius feels the weight of a presence bearing down on him. _"You have to remember."_ The woman's voice tells him. "Who are you?" Darius shouts. _"You have to remember."_ A trail of bloody footprints appears before Darius, leading into the darkness. Following them, Darius starts to see something appear in the distance. Picking up the pace, Darius breaks into a full run, and suddenly finds himself in a large, sterile white room of large, metal tiles. Before him stands a high-tech metal door, a card reader beside it. _"You have to remember."_ The voice tells him again. Staring at the door, a sense of drerad comes over Darius. Visions of blood, of people on operating tables screaming in pain fill his mind. Clutching at his head, Darius falls to his knees. "Stop it!" HE screams. "Stop it!"

Suddenly, as if answering his pleas, everything goes dark and silent. Startled, Darius looks around, and sees a bed a short ways from him, a light coming from the darkness highlighting it. Hesitantly, Darius gets to his feet, and slowly approaches the bed. Lying in the bed, dressed in a nightgown, is the woman from the picture in his wallet, her hair and body arranged as though her body was staged. "Who are you?" Darius asks hoarsely, coming to a stop by the side of the bed. Hearing him, the woman opens her eyes, and looks over at him. "Help me." She pleads. "Get me out of here, please."

"I don't know who you are." Darius tells her. "Why?" She asks him, her voice starting to crack. "Do you really hate me that much?" Darius shakes his head. "I, I don't remember." He admits. "I, I'm starting to wonder if any of this is even real anymore." The woman weakly reaches out to him. "Help me." She pleads. "Don't leave me here." Reaching out, Darius takes her hand, and he feels a rush pass through him.

_"Thank you for coming." Alford Turner greets Darius, offering him his hand. Taking it, Darius shakes as he replies. "You called, they sent me." He replies simply. "So They did. You're reputation precedes you sir. The two men are standing in an expensively furnished study. Off to the side, sitting at a table nursing a cup of tea, is a young woman with platinum blonde hair wearing a pale yellow summer dress. At her shoulder is a maid, watching over her with a look of concern. "This is my daughter Amanda." Alford introduces the young woman. "She is your charge until this matter can be, sorted out." Darius nods. "How do you do?" Amanda greets him coolly, clearly displeased with the situation._

"She looks sick." Darius states. "I am." Amanda replies. "It's a condition she has." Alford explains. "I'll have you briefed on it later. Right now, I'd like you to get to work." Darius nods. "Fine."

"Amanda." Darius speaks through a haze of pain. Groaning, he feels someone holding his left arm. "You awake?" Emily asks him gently. Nodding, Darius slowly opens his eyes, and the world starts to come into focus. "Her name was Amanda." Darius says, sitting up. "Who?" Emily asks. Looking over at her, he sees that she has just finished bandaging his arm. "You were hurt." She explains. "I don't know if they did it, or if you-"

"Beat my head on that door." Darius finishes. "Doesn't matter." Taking the wallet out of his backpack, Darius takes the picture out. "Her name's Amanda." Darius explains. "Have you seen her before?" Emily shakes her head no. "Didn't think so." He sighs, looking at the picture. "Who is she?" Emily asks curiously. "Not sure." Darius replies. I was supposed to protect her, he thinks to himself. But, did I fail? Shaking his head, Darius puts the wallet back in his pack, and the picture in his pocket. "Where'd you get that?" He then asks, noticing the first aid kit beside them. "I, found it in there." She explains, pointing towards the doorway at the end of the hallway. "It's a lounge of some sort."

"Teacher's lounge?" He asks, the words sparking something in his memory. Checking his map, he sees the teacher's room marked clearly. "There's lots of clues in the teacher's room." He reads the clue out loud. "Guess we should go see what Mr. Truman found."


End file.
